The present invention relates to a seating unit in a combat vehicle that is protected against mines.
With known seating units for combat vehicles, the base of the seating unit that carries the seat is generally secured to the base of the vehicle via a lifting mechanism. The adjustment of the height of the seat is effected via devices that are provided with a counter balance, a swivel arm, or a parallelogram guidance. Thus, for example, DE 197 17 782 C2 describes a seating unit in a combat vehicle where the base, which is disposed below a hatch in the vehicle hull, is embodied as an essentially right-angled seat-carrying frame that is disposed horizontally and essentially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and at its rear corner, which faces the longitudinal central axis of the vehicle, is coupled via a holding means with a guide column that is vertically and fixedly disposed in the vehicle. In the state where it is occupied by a crew member, the seat-carrying frame can be raised out of a lower position into a raised position, and again lowered into the lower position, along the guide column via a lifting mechanism. The lower end of the guide column is secured to the base of the vehicle hull. This securement of the elements that carry the seat on the base of the vehicle hull has been shown to be a serious drawback during the explosion of mines. Even where the underside of the combat vehicle is provided with protection against mines, it has been shown that when a mine explodes the base of the vehicle hull bulges significantly upwardly, and all of the components that are fixedly connected to the base participate in the shock load that occurs, so that a very great pulse is conveyed to the vehicle""s seat and hence to the person sitting thereon, which can lead to considerable injuries.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a seating unit in a combat vehicle that is protected against mines, according to which the shock load that during an explosion of a mine acts upon the base of the vehicle hull is not transferred to the seat.